As I write this, the Kings are just getting their celebrations kicked off. While I was rooting for the Devils (more than anything, for Cam and Bryce), I can't get too worked up over the Kings winning instead. They played like champions from day one of the playoffs.

Congratulations, Kings and Kings fans. This is your moment in the Sun. Enjoy it, soak it up. You've passed the test, and can now reap the rewards.

I look at the celebrations on Twitter and across the web, and I see a little glimpse of the future for the Blues and our fans. I have every confidence that the Blues are headed in the right direction, and aren't very far from Cup contention themselves. Tonight, there's a lot of support from fans of other teams, enjoying the fact that LA is getting their first chance at celebrating a Cup win in franchise history. I'm pretty sure the Blues fanbase will see a similar response when they reach this moment. There's a lot of good people out there, and they love hockey first and foremost. Scenes like tonight and the future "someday" moment for the Blues are good for hockey.

And now, finally, the offseason begins. May it be better than last year's. What already seems eternally long to begin with was made even worse with the bad news that came, seemingly, every time we turned around. Boogaard. Rypien. Belak. Lokomotiv.

I'm hoping this year is free from that kind of grief.

The bright spots this year are right around the corner:

June 20th, the NHL Awards

June 22nd: The NHL Draft begins

July 1st: Free Agency begins.

This is a good time to be a Blues fan. Stick around, won't you?

Lastly, I want to pass on some thanks:

The Gametime family ... from Gallagher and Brad Lee on down to the newb commenter that just signed up yesterday. Thanks for being part of my fan experience. We're bigger than the sum of our parts.

The larger Twitterverse : Wow ... I am constantly meeting more and more awesome people. More turn up every day. I'm glad to have met so many of you, and look forward to the next one, which is surely right around the corner.

Hockey: thanks for the thrill ride, once again. I've already got my ticket for next year. My dues are paid up. Let's do it again, shall we?

Not that this is goodbye or anything. Hell no. There's a draft to prepare for, a very important free agency period, and a shit-ton of nicknames to come up with for the new players. There'll be an animated gif or two, some outrageous trade, and certainly some Patty Kane shenanigans to laugh at.

Keep coming back, kids ... the ride might slow down, but it never truly stops.

Anyhoo .. I've said my piece. Say yours down below.